Keep The Home Fires Burning
by BettyHT
Summary: A sequel to Cat, in this story, Joe has been troubled and those things have to be addressed. He and Ben leave on an extended trip leaving Hoss and Adam to run the ranch with Candy's help. There are plenty of fires to put out, some literal and some figurative, as the three find themselves overworked and stressed by the challenges they face.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

With his head down, Hoss walked into the stable to put away his horse and Cochise. He didn't want to go into the house because he saw a light on and knew his father was still up. Delaying as long as possible, he finally had to accept that the conversation he dreaded was going to happen that night. As he walked to the house, he glanced enviously at Candy's quarters where he was sure the foreman was asleep with his wife at his side. A mile away, Adam was probably sleeping just as soundly next to his wife with his son in a cradle beside them. Unfortunately for Hoss, that meant he was the one who ended up accompanying Joe to town on Saturday nights, and then he was the one who had to bring home the bad news on nights like these. Hoss would much rather have spent the evening with Ailis, but he had cut short his visit with her knowing that Joe was likely drinking too much and probably involved in a poker game. Lately in those games, he was taking risks that were too great inviting a fight that Hoss would have to be there as his savior once more. He could swear Joe drank even faster thinking that he could get in enough trouble to start a fight before Hoss got back from Ailis' place, and on this night, it had worked. By the time Hoss got to the Bucket of Blood, a man was being helped to the doctor's office, and Roy and Clem were taking Joe to the jail.

"Hoss, you ain't a gonna talk me outta this one. Your brother tore the place up after starting the fight. I got plenty of witnesses to that. Then he challenged Bart there to a gunfight. Now you know Bart had to fight him. No man can take insults like your brother was throwing down and walk with his head up so the man had to fight. Joe drew first. He's gonna spend the night in jail, and if I have my say with the judge, I'd like to keep him in jail for a week. Something's gotta make him change his ways before he kills somebody or gets himself killed."

It was quite a speech and told Hoss just how upset Roy was with Joe. Clem stood beside him with the same angry expression. Hoss could only nod because there was no defense to what Joe had been doing. He would be a fun-loving man one moment and then a mean angry drunk the next, and too many people were thinking exactly what Roy and Clem were thinking. Nothing their father said or Adam said or anybody said seemed to make a difference. Joe went from chasing women and drinking and acting like he was twenty to being depressed about his losses and then to this angry man who acted as if he wanted someone to kill him or at least hurt him. Hoss didn't know what to do. So now he was home and had to go in and tell his father that Joe was in jail and would stay there until Monday morning at a minimum. If the judge agreed with Roy, he wouldn't get out until the following Saturday even if all the fines and damages were paid. Even that was getting to be a problem. Adam had said only a week before that the fines and damages were like carrying two extra men on the payroll. Joe had gotten angry at Adam at that, and their father had been angry with both of them, but Hoss had to agree with Adam. It was expensive to keep paying for these almost weekly events, and after this night, it was going to be more like four extra men.

"It's late, Hoss. I was thinking of going to bed but I heard you ride in. You must have had a good time tonight."

"Ah, not so good, Pa." Hoss had seen the hopeful expression on his father's face. He had heard the two horses and assumed Joe was on one of them not knowing that Hoss brought Cochise home rather than pay for him to be stabled in town for a week. "Pa, Joe ain't hurt other than a few bruises."

"Jail again?"

"Yes, Pa."

"Another fight and more damages and fines?"

"Yes, Pa. And that ain't all."

"Well if he isn't hurt, what else could there be?"

"He shot a man tonight. The man ain't hurt bad, but, Pa, Roy is really mad. He said he's gonna tell the judge that Joe oughta spend the week in jail. He don't want to let him out until next Saturday even if the fines and such are paid."

"That's ridiculous. What's the point of keeping him locked up if the fines and damages are paid on Monday?"

"He says that something has to change how Joe's acting before he kills somebody or gets killed. Roy ain't fooling neither. I don't think you're gonna be able to talk him outta this one."

"Well, we'll see about that. I'll be talking to him tomorrow. I can see keeping Joe there until he sees the judge on Monday, but then he better release him."

"Pa, I don't think you oughta do that."

"What? You want me to let your brother sit in jail?"

"Pa, I had a lot of time to think while I was riding home. Roy's right. First Joe was acting like none of that bad stuff ever happened. Then he was acting all down and all most of the time. Now he's angry most of the time, but sometimes he's all happy like again or he's all down in the dumps again. He ain't ever all right. I think Roy's right. Something has to shake him up or he's gonna get himself killed or he's gonna kill somebody and end up getting the gallows."

"My son would not do that."

"That's just it. He ain't the Joe we know. He's all messed up. If something don't happen to shake him out of it, he's gonna do something bad. It's getting close, Pa, dontcha think? He needs help. We can't keep bailing him out of trouble. You got mad when Adam said it, but it's true. It's time to face up to it. Something has to change or we're gonna lose him."

Ben nodded. Hoss was saying what Ben had been thinking but had not wanted to say. He was as worried about Joe was Hoss was. Hearing Adam say it had frightened him and made him lash out in anger. Adam had not said any more about it, but Ben knew he probably had drawn these same conclusions and was waiting for the two of them to admit it too. Joe needed help. The next morning, Ben told Hoss what he should have told him that night. He agreed with him and said he would talk with Adam about the situation. Somehow, they would come up with a plan.

"Good, Adam always knows how to come up with a plan. I figure he'll have an idea for this too."

Except Adam didn't have an idea. He felt as helpless as he had when Ross Marquette passed through the dark gate of mental illness. He had gone to Doctor Martin for advice that time and had gotten no help. No one understood what happened in a man's mind to make him act so irrationally. Adam felt as helpless as his father and brother. On Monday when Hoss and Ben went to town to go to court with Joe, Adam stayed on the ranch with Candy to take care of work. Candy asked why he was the one to stay behind.

"Joe doesn't like me there when he's in trouble. He never has unless it was those times when I covered for him so Pa wouldn't know."

"You do that a lot?"

"Some not a lot. Joe never got in this kind of trouble then. I don't know how to even talk to him about it any more. He gets mad at me all the time no matter what I say. I thought we were getting closer but now not so much."

"He's jealous and you remind him of everything he lost."

"I never bring that up. I wasn't even here. Neither were you."

"No but he's jealous of me too."

That made Adam stop working and look at Candy. "You have to explain that one to me. I've lost line of reasoning if I've ever had it."

"Joe was married and had his own home. He had a baby on the way. He was running the ranch pretty much. His wife was killed with their unborn baby, and he burned his house down. You and I came back, and now we do a lot of the work running the place. What he had is gone, and we have it. We have loving wives, you have a baby and I have one on the way. We have nice places to live. He wants what we have, and every day he sees it and he's reminded of what he lost."

"So his behavior at first was to act like it didn't matter, but it did, and it made him angry. That's been eating at him all this time and the anger built up until it's a powder keg. That's why he prefers to be with Hoss."

"See, I knew you weren't so old and forgetful that you couldn't figure it out once I helped you some."

"And you figured this all out on your own?"

"Well, maybe I did have some help from Hoss who told me some of the things Joe's been saying when he's drunk."

"Such as?"

"Oh, that he wishes he had what we have, and he hates seeing us have it every day reminding him that he had it and lost it all."

"And being so intelligent and all, you figured out that was true and decided to lecture me."

"That's about it. I also thought that the two of us might come up with a plan seeing as how I heard your father asked you for ideas and you had none."

"And you heard that from Hoss too, I suppose."

"No, your Pa told me that one. He was rather disappointed in you. Now that I've given you additional information, I'm hoping you can do better for your father."

Adam leaned on the corral fence and stared across the pastures to the mountains beyond. He had the kernel of an idea and needed to let it grow. He said nothing and began gathering tools. Candy had seen that look before and knew he was thinking something through. He left him alone until Hoss and Ben rode back in about four hours later. Adam took his gloves off and headed toward the house once Ben and Hoss had taken care of the horses and headed into the house.

"Hey, aren't you going to tell me your idea?"

"Nope. I'm sure Pa or Hoss will tell you soon enough."

Shaking his head but smiling a bit, Candy went back to work. Adam had an idea and hopefully there would soon be a plan to help Joe. By dinner that evening, Candy found out what the plan was and that Ben was reluctant to endorse it.

"Candy, my sons would like me to take Joe and go gallivanting across the country looking at horses. They think that buying a few dozen horses will somehow help Joe recover his good senses."

"If you're with him, I'm sure it will."

"You agree with them?"

"I haven't heard the details, but Joe needs to get away from here and all the reminders of his losses. He needs some time with his father helping him talk through what he needs to talk through, and we all know how excited he gets about buying horses. I can't see anything wrong with it."

Hoss grinned. Candy had a way of getting to the heart of the matter like no one else could. Adam had been cool and logical laying out all the reasons for Ben taking Joe on an extended horse buying trip. Hoss had agreed talking about how it would make Joe feel better and make him relax and such. Candy pointed out the three key elements. Adam had brought Cat and Benny back for dinner knowing how important this dinner discussion would be, and Cat had invited Fanny to join them. The presence of the ladies kept Ben much more genteel in his comments. He looked around the table then at all the hopeful faces.

"Who will run the ranch with both of us gone?"

His question was greeted with smiles for they knew it meant that he had accepted the proposal. Adam and Hoss would run the ranch with Candy's help. It meant that Adam's plans for developing his architectural and engineering business would have to be put on hold, but he didn't mind because his brother was far more important than that. The next step was presenting it to Joe in a way that he would accept it. They discussed that for the rest of the evening until they were sure they had a good proposal. Then they waited until Saturday to make the offer to Joe. At dinner, Ben cajoled Adam who did his best to act reluctant to follow his father's suggestion.

"Pa, I don't want to be gone that long. Denver, Lexington, New Orleans, and Phoenix. It could take months."

"Yes, but you know horses and you know all these old friends of ours. I've mapped out where they live and been in contact with some of them. They'll help you to find the best breeding stock in the area. We could have the best horses east of the Sierras and maybe even the best west of Denver. That would be very profitable for us."

Listening to the two of them talk, Joe wondered why Adam was going. "Why Adam, Pa, and not me?"

"Joe, I would send you, but you don't know these people. Adam knows all of them as well as I do."

Adam rocked back in his chair with a disgusted sigh. Ben and the others had to give him credit for an excellent acting job. Joe was buying it. He looked at Adam, and although he liked that his oldest brother was put out about it, he also wanted to go in his place. However Ben had placed a huge roadblock there. Candy leaned forward with an idea that he did his best to sell as having been an inspiration at that moment as he snapped his fingers.

"Mr. Cartwright, if you know the people, and Joe wants to go, and Adam doesn't, why don't you and Joe go? Adam and Hoss and I can run the ranch for a few months. You could be back by the fall drive."

Ben put his hands up as if to say no, but Joe immediately endorsed the idea and Adam sat up to add his approval as well. Cat was enthusiastic. Hoss said if it made his two brothers happy, he was all for it. Ben dropped his hands.

"I guess I'm outvoted. All right, Joe, I guess you and I are going on a horse buying trip."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

After trudging into the house and scraping mud off his boots as he had to do several times every day, Hoss looked to Adam and Candy who were doing the same. "I swear it's looking like we ought to build an ark and start picking up two of everything."

"Yeah, well don't complain too much. You don't have to ride home yet, and I still have to ride up to the timber camps tomorrow to check on them. At least all this rain is good for moving logs down the mountain. We're almost done with that contract." Adam hung his hat and coat and joined Hoss and Candy at the dining table where Hop Sing brought out coffee for the three who had made a habit of meeting there in the late afternoon to talk over ranch business and set the following day's schedule before Adam left for his home. Unlike most of the men on the ranch, Hop Sing was in a better mood than usual feeling that it was his duty to try to keep the others in a better frame of mind with Ben away and so much pressure on them to keep the ranch running well. He did his best, but the weather was making his job very difficult.

"You want more coffee? More biscuits? I have ham too. Mister Hoss not eat all ham at lunch."

"Coffee will be fine."

"Speak for yourself, older brother, I need some fuel to keep my fires burning inside to keep me warm. Hop Sing, bring on them biscuits and ham. It'll be enough to carry me through to dinner."

"Hey, Adam, would you consider taking a wagon to the timber camp so you could swing by the lumber mill and bring back the load of lumber for the new room? With the baby coming in a couple of months, Fanny is getting anxious to get that new room added on."

"Not this trip. I don't even have the timber wagons moving. It's too dangerous to try to move a wagon on those roads right now. I've got the teams pulling sledges with logs or dragging logs. Maybe in a few weeks when things dry out a bit, we can make a run up there to get the lumber."

"A few weeks? That'll be cutting it pretty close, won't it?"

"No, it won't take more than a few days to build it. I ordered the lumber cut to specific lengths. I'm fairly sure we'll get it done before the end of the month."

"Sure, but Fanny was hoping to make curtains and things so the room would be ready when the baby arrived. That doesn't give her much time."

"I've drawn the plans up with measurements. The ladies can use those to make curtains and things. I'll give the measurements to Cat and she and Fanny can work out what they want to do."

"It'd be easier if they could actually see the room."

"Look, it might be easier, but I'm not risking my neck so you can have pretty curtains in your baby's room."

"Whoa, you two, settle down. Now, Candy, I'm sure Adam will do what he can, and you know it ain't safe to take a wagon up a muddy mountain road. Adam, you must remember what it was like when you was expecting your first one. It wasn't that long ago. Now maybe you could be a little more understanding with Candy. He's a mite worried about his wife. I figure you oughta understand that."

Nodding, Adam sighed and admitted he did. "I'll get that lumber as soon as it's reasonably safe to travel. I'll ride over to the lumber mill after I visit the timber camps and I'll make sure everything is ready to go."

"Thanks. Sorry if I got a bit short with you. Hoss is right. I am getting a bit worried as it gets closer."

"All right, my week is booked. That leaves the problems with the flooding in the southeast pasture and the fences downed with that mudslide up to the two of you."

"The week? You said you'd be back from the timber camp in two days."

"Hoss, once I get back from there, I have to leave for the meeting with the railroad men in Carson to finalize the next contract, and then I have to get over to Reno to submit a bid for the contract after that. I'll be back on Saturday at the earliest."

"All right, Candy, one of us has to get a crew and did drainage ditches and the other has to build a fence in mud. We'll need a crew in both places to keep watch on the herd like we been doing to keep them from wandering off or getting into too much water. Maybe we oughta shift more of the herd to the northwest pastures."

Adam and Candy nodded. That was a good plan, but they needed one more man to handle that. Candy had an idea though.

"If we take most of the cattle from the southwest pastures and move them, then the drainage ditches could be put off for a bit. Maybe if the rains let up some, those would be easier to dig. I'll move the cattle, and then bring some of the men back and we'll dig the drainage ditches."

Hoss frowned. "Why do you get that job?"

"Because I thought of it first."

Hoss shrugged as Candy and Adam smiled. It was the lightest moment they had had in days of struggling with getting work done in the unusually relentless rains. Fortunately, the rain ended that night. For the week, there was no more rain and work proceeded normally.

On Saturday, Adam got back when it was nearly dark. He rode up to the small stable at his house and smiled to see the lanterns lit on the porch of his house and one hanging on a post by the stable. He knew that Cat was expecting him home. After putting his horse in the stable with her yearling blue roan who was being trained and the saddle horse she was using until he was ready, he grabbed his saddlebags and walked to the house with the lantern. He turned that one down and one of the lanterns on the porch before entering the house. Cat was rocking Benny in a chair in front of the fireplace. Adam smiled to see her there as he did every time he saw her holding their son. Benny had been born early and had been small and vulnerable. That was no longer true. He was a chubby cheeked baby who smiled easily as he did now as he saw his father enter the house. He threw his arms out wide inviting his father to pick him up. Dropping his saddlebags, Adam did just that and kissed Cat lightly as he did so. She stood and wrapped an arm around his waist as he held Benny and kissed his cheek. Adam was surprised to hear noise from the kitchen and looked to Cat.

"Ailis came to stay with me. She knew I would be a bit lonely when Fanny told her that you would be gone for most of the week. She's been doing sewing with us. It made the days go by much faster."

"And the nights?"

"Nothing could made the nights go by faster. I missed you very much."

"I missed you too. I'll show you how much I missed you when we get a chance."

"Get a chance?"

"Ailis is staying here. With your father and Joe gone, it isn't proper for her to spend the night in the main house with Hoss."

"Oh, hell." Benny squirmed then wondering why his father was upset so Adam had to smile and play with him.

"Hoss is coming over to see Ailis tonight or we could go over to the main house. With Benny, it's easier if he comes over here though."

"Does Benny still go to bed about eight?"

"Yes. Why does that matter?"

"Because Hoss is going to get kicked out of here at eight, and he's taking Ailis with him. Now, I'm going to go take a bath. Does Benny need one? He can take a bath with me if he does."

"He could use a bath, and you know how much he likes to take a bath with you."

Grinning, Adam told Benny that they were going to take a bath. Benny was happy because his father was happy, and when Cat brought clean clothing to the washroom, she could hear them laughing. It made her heart soar every time she heard that sound and she knew she would never tire of it. Hoss arrived for dinner. Adam was gracious and told him all about the two contracts and updated him on the timber and lumber operations. As it neared eight, Cat took Benny upstairs to put him to bed. His eyes were drooping and it was clear he was ready. As she climbed the stairs, she heard Adam tell Hoss that it was time to go.

"You're old enough to know what is right and wrong. Ailis is old enough to know the same. You can make your own decisions and you don't need us to chaperone you. There are plenty of bedrooms in the main house. Make your choices and live with them. Now, I have been away from my wife for five nights. I want to spend some time with her, so if you don't mind, why don't the two of you go play chess or checkers or do whatever the two of you decide you want to do."

"But Adam, we don't want people to talk."

"I'm not going to talk. Cat won't talk, and Benny can't talk. Who's going to talk? Go."

Hoss shrugged and offered Ailis his arm. "Can I hitch up your carriage? I rode Chubb over here."

"Sure. Bring it back in the morning. We're going to church."

"I hafta take Ailis back to town too. We'll go with ya to church."'

"All right, it's a plan. Good night." Adam ushered them out of the house and closed the door locking it before heading upstairs and what he hoped was going to be a couple of hours of marital bliss followed by a night of sleep beside his wife. By the time he got to the bedroom, he noted that Benny's door was closed. Stepping into his bedroom, he had to grin. Cat was reclining on their bed wearing nothing but a seductive smile. He joined her as quickly as he could and gave her more reasons to smile. She reciprocated. By ten, he was reclining on his back with Cat's head resting on his shoulder as her hand caressed his chest and lulled him into a sound slumber.

When Hoss arrived the next morning with the carriage and his horse tied to the back, Adam carried Benny on his arm and went out to greet him. He took one look at Hoss and shook his head. He walked up very close to his brother so he could talk very softly.

"That's why you can never win a poker hand. You keep looking like that and the whole congregation is going to know where you were last night."

"Huh?"

"Hoss, you don't have to look like you got lucky. Just act like you're happy on a normal day when you don't have to work and your lady friend is by your side."

"But I'm so dadblamed happy I can't hold it inside. Adam, I want to ask her to marry up with me."

"Because of last night or because you love her and want to spend the rest of your life with her?"

"Huh? Both, I guess. Does it matter? And ain't it about the same thing? I wouldn't a wanted to spend the night with her ifn I didn't want to spend my life with her. She's a nice gal. It wouldn't a been right to do that."

Adam looked at his brother wondering for a moment if that was a completely sincere statement but then knew he should never have questioned it from Hoss. "You're right. If that's the way you feel, then you should ask her."

"Should I wait until Pa gets back to ask her?"

"No, he wouldn't expect that, but you probably have to wait for Pa and Joe to get back before you marry her."

"Yeah. Adam, it's gonna be real hard to wait that long."

About to laugh thinking Hoss had made a pun, Adam sobered up quickly seeing how serious his brother was. "I know. Set the date though and you can start counting the days."

"Yeah. I'm gonna ask her, but I don't have a ring to give her."

"Ask her and tell her you don't know much about rings and you want her to be able to pick out her own ring so she gets one she likes."

"Oh, that's good. I like that idea. Thanks, Adam. You been a big help."

At church, Sheriff Roy Coffee came up to Adam with a letter. "I got this yesterday when I was over at the general store. It's from your pa. They figured that you boys would want it as soon as possible so they give it to me to give to you."

"Thank you, Roy. We've been so busy no one has been able to get to town for the mail."

After church, Adam and Hoss went to the carriage to read the letter. Cat sat on the bench seat with Benny and Ailis sat beside her as Adam read the letter aloud.

 _Dear Adam and Hoss and family_

 _The trip here has been rougher than I expected and the weather was only part of our difficulties. Joe has been ill. He didn't have something that he had at home and his body reacted badly to the change in the beverages and food we had available. He brought some beverages from home but they were bad so I had to dispose of them. In Denver, I had to seek the help of doctors who placed Joe in their care for over a week. He seems better now but is still shaky. We have visited with the Bradleys, and they send their congratulations to you Adam on your marriage and the birth of your son. We have not found any horses to buy here so we will be continuing on our journey. Joe seems to be getting better now so I hope that our stop in St. Louis will be more pleasant._

 _Love, your father_

"It was worse than we thought."

"What was worse than we thought."

"Hoss, didn't you understand what Pa was saying?" At Hoss' bewildered look, Adam didn't want to say it. Cat saw that so she said it softly for him.

"Hoss, Joe was drinking so much that he took alcohol with him. Your father threw it away and Joe got the shakes. It was so bad that your father had to get medical help for him."

Hoss was shocked. "Joe's a drunk? But he wasn't falling down or nothing. I never noticed him being drunk at all."

"He must have been drinking a little all the time. I did smell it on him sometimes. I thought he was only occasionally having a drink. I guess those were the times when he didn't cover it up well enough." Cat could see that Adam was feeling guilty about that.

"Adam that was not your fault. He hid it from everyone. He must have been drinking like that well before you arrived home. He was drinking because of the pain. Now he has to face the pain of his losses. Your father is the best one to help him with that."

"But Cat, he's so far from home. We can't help him."

"If the three of you hadn't gotten your father to take Joe away from here, he never would have discovered the problem. And I'll say it again. Your father is the best person to be with Joe right now."

Adam and Hoss agreed because her logic was impeccable. Ailis however was lost because she didn't know most of the background for any of this. Hoss looked at her and realized that if she was going to be his wife, there was a lot she needed to learn. He looked to Adam who said yes because he always did have an uncanny knack of reading Hoss' mind at moments like this.

"Ailis, there's a whole lot of things we got to talk about. Can I take you to lunch? This is gonna take a while."


	3. Chapter 3

3

 **Chapter 3**

Stomping into the main house, Adam looked as angry as Hoss and Candy looked worried. "I knew things were going too well. The last two weeks were so pleasant something awful had to happen. What is it? I got the message and it said there was big trouble up at the timber camps."

Hoss didn't want to be the one to tell him, but it was his place to do so and it would have been cowardly to pass the job off to Candy. There have been brush fires that took down the new flume."

"With all the rain first, the sunny days since, and the green growth, there's no chance that the fire was accidental." All Hoss and Candy could do was nod. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, log jam in the river is holding up the delivery of what was already down there. Someone seems to have pushed logs down along the river when there was already a jam so it piled logs up on top of the jam and now the whole thing is working to dam the water. It's a mess."

"It had only been two weeks and we should have been way ahead of schedule on that contract and due for bonuses for early delivery. Now we're looking at penalty clauses for late delivery."

"Yeah, Candy and me been talking about that. We can't just go up there and fix the two problems even if we have to do that. We got to find out who's doing the damage too. Somebody doesn't want us to finish this contract early or even on time."

"And who do you and Candy think should be the one to figure out who's doing this?" Silence gave Adam the answer, but then Candy added more information to back up their reasoning.

"You can grow more beard in two days than either of us can in a week. Hoss stands out no matter if he grew a beard or not. We got a lot of new men working up there who haven't worked with you much. If you had a beard, changed your clothes, and used one of those accents you're so good with, we think they wouldn't know it was you. We could bring you up there with a couple of new men because we'll need more men with the messes we have to clean up. You could bunk in with the men, work with them, and watch and listen. We figure it wouldn't take you too long to figure out who was doing it. I'd be there to back you up and so would the couple of men we bring up there with us."

"Cat's not going to like this."

"Fanny won't either, but if we're going to keep this place running like we promised your pa, we have to take care of this."

"Did anyone get hurt in the flue going down or in the logjam?"

"Not yet, but that logjam has the potential to create a dangerous situation for the men who have to clear it."

"I'll have to be part of that crew. Candy, you'll need to find reasons to walk close enough to me so I can tell you where to place the dynamite."

"Or I can just walk up to you and tell you to place the dynamite like I know what I'm doing and then you go place it because you do know what you're doing."

That made Hoss' eyes get very big. He hadn't thought about that part of their plan. Adam was the one most skilled in the use of dynamite, and if he was going to play the role of a man hired to work the camps, then he would be a likely candidate to be placing the dynamite charges, stringing the cord, and then getting back before the charges were set off. However once the first few charges were exploded, the whole mass of the logjam would become more and more unstable so that each charge set after that would be more and more dangerous to do. Hoss decided that maybe they ought to rethink that plan to see if they could come up with a better one.

"Hoss, it's a good plan. Don't back off from it because I'll be in some danger. As you and Candy have said, I'll have backup there. Please though don't tell Cat what I'm doing. I don't want her worrying the whole time I'm gone. She worries enough while I'm gone."

"I'll ask if Ailis cam come stay with her again. That seems to help and the two of them can work with Fanny on their sewing. It'll help Fanny too seeing as how she's getting closer to delivery and Candy's gonna be gone too."

That evening, Adam had to tell Cat that in two days he would be heading up to the timber camps. "There are some problems that I have to take care of. The flume has been damaged and I have to fix it. There's a log jam too and I have to show them where to set the charges to clear it."

Watching Adam disrobe for bed, Cat admired the physique of her husband but noted that although he had made it clear that he wanted to make love with her, he had not shaved. There was something going on which he had not told her. She knew that he would not lie to her, but he had a habit of omitting things that he thought would worry her. She suspected strongly that this was one of those times and it made her angry. By the time that Adam turned down the lamp and slipped in beside her, her anger had built up quite a bit. He reached for her to pull her close and knew immediately by her resistance that he had not fooled her at all.

"I guessed that not shaving was going to be a problem. I suppose you want to know why?"

Cat didn't answer because her mind was whirling with thoughts as she recalled all the things that he had said which she now put with the evidence of the whiskers. "You're going up there as one of the crew to try to ferret out who's behind the trouble. You don't think any of this has been an accident. You think someone has purposely created these problems so that the contract won't be fulfilled."

Laying back, Adam stared at the dancing shadows that the moonlight made on the ceiling. "You are too damn smart, woman. Yes, you figured it all out. Now I suppose you're going to argue with me that I shouldn't do this."

"No, I know better. You wouldn't back off, and it would only create problems between us, but you know that this is going to create problems between us anyway. You put yourself in danger seemingly without regard for the fact that you have a wife and a son to protect. That bothers me a great deal, and you know it does, or you wouldn't have tried to keep this all from me."

"We've had this discussion before. Every time I leave this house, there's some danger in what I do. I could take an office in town and we could live there, and there would still be some danger. There could be a fire or an earthquake. I take precautions, and I'm not an impulsive youth who rushes headlong into danger. I plan. I make sure to have men who will back me up. What else can I do?"

"I don't know, but I do wish you could find another way to handle some of these things. Can't you hire men to do some of this?"

"I could if I could find another engineer and architect to do some of this work at least on a part-time basis and if I could find another man with experience with dynamite who would be willing to work for us the same way. The problem is that we don't need men with those skills all the time. We can't afford to pay them what they're worth only to have them on the payroll for the times when we do need those skills and they won't work for what we pay our regular hands or even what we pay Candy."

Cat had the germ of an idea, but it would do no good to bring it up with Adam at this point, but she decided that she needed to explore the options and see if it was feasible. It would give her something to do while he was gone. She acquiesced for the time being because there was no other reasonable way to act. They did make love, but it was more stiff than it usually was as both carried some of the tension of their conversation over into their lovemaking as they found it impossible to completely let go of the tension.

Two days later, Candy drove a wagon with Adam and two of their trusted hands in the back with supplies including dynamite, blasting caps, and primer cord. He had to drive carefully so that it took the entire day to arrive at the timber camp and it was much to dark to see anything that night. The next morning, Candy and his crew went to the logjam first and Candy called Adam and the two men over pointing at the log jam as if he knew what he was doing but actually Adam whispered to him where he should be pointing. The men from the camp were openly skeptical that Candy knew what he was doing. They knew him as the ranch foreman and didn't expect any success from his dynamiting. However the first two simultaneous blasts opened up a channel draining a significant portion of the water dammed by the logjam and creating opportunities to set more charges beneath the worst of the jam to free it. By the end of the day, the bulk of the logjam was cleared and logs were floating down the river. The rest of the logs could be cleared out by manual labor over the next couple of days. The men who worked the camp were impressed by Candy's skill in directing a crew of three dynamiters and told him so. He was necessarily humble about it which only earned him more respect from the loggers. Clearing the logjam with no serious injuries and no loss of life was far better than they had expected especially from a cowboy. Two of the men talked about that quietly and wondered how he had managed it. They decided to watch the three men who had come to the camp with him suspecting that there was more to this story than they had seen.

The next day, following plans that Adam had spent a full day explaining to Candy, the flume was rebuilt. Adam and the two hands from the Ponderosa were split up among the logging crews and sent out to cut trees. Adam had more experience so he got better jobs. The other two were relegated to mostly trimming brush from trees. They worked for several days at their jobs, got to know many of the men but heard nothing that gave them an inkling of who the saboteurs might be.

At the ranch, Hoss got a letter from his father who was in St. Louis with Joe. The news was slightly better, but still disturbing.

 _Dear Family_

 _The weather is bright and sunny here, but there's still quite a bit of moisture falling. Joe is feeling better physically, but doesn't like the food here apparently and isn't eating much. I'm hoping that when we get to the horse country of Lexington that his appetite will return and that it will be drier. We haven't found any horses yet that we wish to buy. I thought there were some here that were promising but Joe refuses to endorse their purchase. For now, we will follow his lead. I hope all is well with you, and I will write again from Kentucky and hopefully with better news. Adam, Hoss, and Candy, this was a good idea. We have had many long conversations about how to fill the empty spaces. I didn't know how badly my son needed to talk about these things._

 _Love,_

 _Your father._

Hoss looked up at Cat and Fanny when he finished reading. "That one part means that Joe's been crying, don't it. He's finally letting the sadness out, ain't he?"

Cat put her hand on Hoss' shoulder. "Yes, Hoss, I believe that is exactly what your father is telling us."


	4. Chapter 4

5

 **Chapter 4**

At the timber camps, not much happened for a week except Adam got blisters and his back started to act up. He wasn't used to working twelve or fourteen hours every day and then sleeping on a bedroll every night. There wasn't space in the cabins for them so he and the other two men were forced to pitch a tent which meant that it was often cool and damp when they were sleeping. Adam might have considered it worth the discomfort except there was no sign of any of the men doing anything wrong. In fact, all of the men seemed to be working hard and doing their best to keep the jobs they had. There was no reason to complain about any of the men on the payroll. When Candy and Adam managed to get a few moments to whisper a hurried consultation, they both had those same conclusions.

"Well, boss man, what are we going to do next? We thought we had a good plan and we've been here a week and we've got nothing to show for our efforts."

"Don't call me boss man. We could be overheard talking and that could stand out. Call me anything you want but not that, and I don't have another plan. All I can think is that because you're here, they're laying low, but the next deadline for the contract is coming up in a few days. If they're going to do something, it has to be soon because the way we've been working, we're going to make that deadline. We missed the first two, but we're going to make this one."

"What could they do?"

"Candy, they would have to do something that would disrupt the whole camp. My guess is that because they don't know there's a Cartwright in camp, it would be something serious enough to stop work and summon one of them up here."

"What would that be? Are they going to get the men to stop working somehow?"

"It doesn't seem likely. The men seem happy to have jobs and there's less complaining than I expected. It does seem like everyone is waiting for something to go wrong. No one here trusts us enough to say much when we're around. We're too new, and they're worried. I don't know what has them worried and I have to tell you that has me worried."

"I've done about all I can do in the office. I can't see an excuse to stay here much longer, but I won't leave with you unarmed."

None of the loggers carried weapons. It wasn't something that loggers did. They had knives on their belts and some carried hatchets, but not one of them had a pistol. If there was a lethal threat, Adam had little with which to defend himself. Candy would not leave him there in such a vulnerable position.

"All right, let's give it three more days. If we get through this next deadline with no problem, then maybe we can say we scared them enough to get them to back off."

"You don't believe that though, do you?"

"No, I don't. I think something is going to happen and soon. I wish I had some idea what it was going to be though."

"I've got your pistol and the two for the boys in my saddlebags yet, and there's an extra rifle in the office too. Should I put those in your tent today while everyone is out working?"

"Yes, I think that would be a good idea. We'll know where they are if there's trouble. Now we've taken a big enough risk. I need to get moving." Adam walked off as if he had only been doing his business in the bushes.

After about fifteen minutes, Candy emerged in the opposite direction. In the camp, the cook smiled as he saw that. It was about what he thought was going on. It meant that the Cartwrights were just as smart as he thought they were. He made sure his shotgun was loaded because he wanted to be ready for the trouble when it happened, and he was sure there was going to be some big trouble and soon. Normally he had his shotgun loaded with shells that were full of rock salt that were meant to disperse an unruly crowd. He replaced those shells with heavy loads. He put four extra shells in his pocket because he would kill if he had to do it although he hoped he wouldn't have to do anything like that.

By late that afternoon, the foreman sent his assistant out to tell the men they could quit early as a reward for finishing the work by the deadline. They would get a few extra hours to spend relaxing and could celebrate a bit before he expected them to work hard again the next day. Adam and the two hands from the Ponderosa were surprised that the men didn't seem happier about the situation. They listened as the men headed back and found that the conversations were all rather gloomy. Once they were back in camp, they checked and found the firearms in the tent as Candy had promised. He wasn't there though. They saw him heading out of camp with the foreman and his assistant. As Adam and his two men entered the dining cabin, they overheard the cook talking with several of the men.

"Same as before, ain't it? We get ahead on the contract and everything looks good, and then suddenly there's a big accident or fire or some other mess and we miss the deadline. We aren't gonna get paid any bonuses this time either especially with them Cartwrights having to deal with penalties."

"Maybe somebody ought to tell one of them Cartwrights. They done all right by us otherwise when we told them things needed fixing up here."

"Yeah, well I ain't taking a chancing with my health."

"What d'ya mean by that?"

"Well so far it's only been the flume, some fires, and the log jam. Ain't been nobody hurt, but sooner or later, somebody's gonna get hurt or killed as a way to stall the work around here."

"Yeah, ever since the foreman lost all that money gambling and brought his new assistant up here, there's been nothing but trouble whenever we get close to making a deadline. You'd think somebody woulda noticed by now."

"If I was that Candy man, I'd be watching my back about now. He's the likely candidate for the next 'accident' far as I can see."

Hearing that last statement chilled Adam to the core, and when he looked to his companions, they had the expressions that mirrored his inner thoughts. They turned and rushed to their tent to grab firearms and then hurried as fast as they could in the direction they had seen Candy go with the foreman and his assistant. The cook had seen them go and grabbed his shotgun to follow them. A few of the men asked what he was doing and he quickly explained. Two who had firearms in their gear went to get them and followed after the cook who had already disappeared into the trees following Adam and the others. Up ahead, Adam had already found and confronted the foreman and his assistant when he found Candy lying on the ground unconscious with the two men standing above him and getting ready apparently to lift him to throw him over a steep drop-off. He would never survive the drop.

"Hold it right there."

"What are you men doing here? You were told to go to the mess hall."

"More importantly, what are you doing here? What did you do to Candy?'

"We didn't do anything to him. He fell and hit his head."

As the foreman talked, the assistant had moved a little behind him to hide the movement of his hands. He moved then and placed a pistol to Candy's head. "Drop your weapons or I put a bullet in his brain right now."

"It appears we have an impasse." Adam cursed inwardly for not getting his men to disarm the two immediately.

"No, we have the upper hand. He dies unless you comply."

"But if he dies, you both die. How does that help you?" Adam still hoped to defuse the situation with talk, but he knew these two desperate men were unlikely to give in to mere talk.

"You care more about this one than you do about killing us. That gives us an edge. Drop your weapons, and all of you live. How's that for a deal?"

Adam thought through several scenarios for how this could turn out and didn't like any of the possibilities. He thought about shooting the man before he could shoot Candy, but he still had the foreman in front of him so it would take a perfect shot to kill him, and Adam wasn't willing to risk Candy's life on that possibility. When Adam said nothing for a moment, the man grew a bit nervous.

"You're thinking about shooting me, I suppose, but you know you'd need a miracle shot to put me out of commission before I killed this one."

Shocking nearly everyone, there was a voice from behind the foreman and his assistant. "But I wouldn't need a miracle shot at all. With this shotgun, I'd take out both of you and have to hope none of the shot missed the two of you and flew by and hit Mister Cartwright there."

"What? Cartwright?"

"Of course. You didn't think the Cartwrights would let you mess up their operations without checking it out now did you? Did you really think they would send somebody else without one of their own to see what was wrong? I figured the dark one for Adam Cartwright the moment I seen him climb down off that wagon. He got out of there like he had a stiff back. A man used to riding horses ain't gonna take to riding in a wagon all day. Now what's it gonna be? A load of buckshot to end your days real painful like or a few years in jail for what ya done up here?"

The man dropped his pistol and raised his hands. He had not killed anyone so the cook was correct. At most, he was facing some jail time, and he hoped his employers would be willing to help him out on that score if he kept his mouth shut. That possibility disappeared like smoke from a campfire though in the next few seconds as the camp foreman started crying and spilling everything as Adam knelt next to Candy to check on his condition. By then, Candy was groggy so Adam had two men help him back to camp. He turned to the foreman and the assistant.

"You're both going to jail. I'll help you out if you tell me everything and admit it all to the sheriff when we take you in. You hold anything back, and I'll use everything I've got to see that you get the maximum sentences for what you've done." The assistant whose name was Mason asked how much help he could expect. "No jail time if I get the men behind this. They're the ones I want." It was a far better deal than either man had expected. They both nodded that they agreed to his terms. "Oh, there is this one thing though." Adam sucker punched Mason, and then as the foreman Taylor stood in shock, he did the same to him. Both men laid on the ground dazed from the blows as Adam rubbed his damaged hand. The cook smiled.

"Was that worth it?"

With a grin, Adam nodded. "Thank you. I thought I detected a note of recognition from you a few times. Thank you for keeping my secret and thank you so much for helping out here today, and for the two men behind you backing you up. All three of you can expect bonuses as soon as we get everything back in working order. I'm going to need a temporary foreman and assistant. Any suggestions?"

Looking at the two men beside him, the cook recommended both for assistants. "The men respect them and they'll follow their orders. As for foreman though, I don't think there's a man in camp who can handle the paperwork and such that needs to be done except maybe me, and I don't want the job. I'm too old to have to deal with that pressure. I like the job I've got."

With a deep sigh, Adam realized he was the one who would have to stay to run the camp for the time being. "Candy will need to head home. He's hurt and his wife is going to have a baby soon. He and Hoss will have to hire someone and send them up here. All right, you two are now the assistant foremen. Let's get these two to the office so I can take their statements. Then we'll plan how to get them to town and set up the work schedule for the next week."

The next morning, Adam had simple instructions for Candy who still had a mild headache but was otherwise feeling all right. "Stop by the lumber mill on the way back to pick up the lumber for the addition to your place. Go slow with the lumber, and that will be helpful for your head anyway. Once you get back, here are the statements for Roy, and you can deliver these two to him. Tell him what you know. For now, he can hold them in jail for assaulting you. When I get back, I'll be in town. If we can build a big enough case against the men who ordered all of this, then I'll have all the charges dropped against these two as long as they testify against the men who gave them their orders."

Looking at the bruises on the faces of the two men, Candy grinned again. "I do like your direct form of justice better anyway. I think they both have headaches today too, and they'll be riding in back while I'll be up on the seat."

"And if you and Hoss could please hire someone as soon as possible to run this camp, that would be very nice. I'm going to have enough heat when I get home. The sooner the better."

"Of course, but shave that ghastly beard, would you? You look like some crazy mountain man. She wouldn't want you back at all if she could see you now."

"You might be surprised."

"I might be. You never know how some women will take pity on some men and think they can help them."

"Get out of here. My hand already hurts. I don't want to have to punch anyone today."

Candy grinned and put on his hat which caused a slight grimace that got a small smile from Adam that faded quickly as Candy left. He surveyed the office with all the paperwork. It was his least favorite part of ranch work just slightly ahead of clearing out mudholes and it was also piling up at home because Hoss was unlikely to do any of it so once Adam cleared out the work here, he would go home to find a stack of paperwork waiting for him there.

By the time Adam returned home a week later, there was good news. With the two witnesses willing to tell all, the penalties paid to the railroad company were refunded, the bonuses for meeting deadlines were paid, and generous restitution was made for all damages. In addition, fines were paid for each of the crimes so the Virginia City treasury was a bit fatter too. As a result, Candy and Hoss agreed that there would be no criminal charges if Mason and Taylor left the state. They agreed, and the matter was settled.

The first night back, Adam wanted a bath. Cat asked if he wanted company and he said he thought that Benny would be going to bed soon. She smiled and said he would. A short time later as Adam reclined in the bath, he felt her cool hands on his face. She lathered up his whiskers and shaved him and then washed his hair. As he leaned forward so she could rinse his hair, she saw numerous bruises on his back.

"What happened to your back?"

"In a timber camp, you're always getting banged around with something. I fell yesterday. It was a simple trip and fall, but there was a brush pile there and I fell back into it. Hurt like hell. It was only bruises though."

Cat scrubbed his back gently then, and when he leaned back she moved to his chest. It was then that he realized that she had disrobed and invited her to continue scrubbing him but inside the tub. One thing led to another, and they spilled a lot of sudsy water on the floor, but they were very clean by the time they finished. Clean, dry, and relaxed, they sat in front of the fireplace and read the latest letter from Ben. Cat had read it already with the other members of the family, but Adam had not.

"It's better news. I think you'll like this one."

 _Dear Family_

 _The grass here is so green and the farms are so well kept and beautiful. We have visited a number of horse farms and have ridden many horses. Joe doesn't want to buy any now. He thinks that he and Adam ought to come back here next year to buy a pair of stallions and take them directly back home. I think that perhaps he's enjoyed himself so much here that he wants a reason to come back. These are some magnificent horses that we've seen and ridden. We're looking forward to the next stop on our trip, New Orleans. I'll show Joe some of the places that were important to his mother and we'll sample some of the culture of the city before we move on. The week here in Lexington has been exhilarating. Life is good._

 _Yours truly,_

 _Your father._

"It sounds like Joe is getting some interest in the future again. He's planning and plotting. It's more like the old Joe."


	5. Chapter 5

4

 **Chapter 5**

The next morning at breakfast, Adam thought he would have a chance to relax a bit and then head to the main house to tackle the paperwork that had piled up while he was at the timber camps. However there were some complications. The first one was rather mild and intrigued him as well. Cat had a business idea that immediately had him thinking of possibilities.

"Adam, I've done some research while you were gone. I had to go to town for supplies, and we went to church too. Now, there are at least several businesses that use dynamite on occasion other than the mines. There are also a number of businesses what wish that they had engineers and architects working for them but like you they say they can't afford to keep a man like than on salary for the part-time work they have for them. Now, what if we started a business and contracted services of men who do that kind of work. They would work out of one office but work for many different employers. You could do some of that work too. Not the dynamiting, but you could do some of the engineering consulting work and you could certainly do some of the architectural drafting. So what do you think?"

It was necessary for Adam to take some time to think about the proposal, but he did like the initial idea. He knew that Cat was excited at the prospect but wanted to think it through so he gave her the answer he was giving himself. "Cat, it has some real possibilities. I can't say that I endorse it yet. You know how I am. I think things through like an engineer. I have to study it and look at it from all angles, but I have to say at this point it looks structurally sound. Let's talk about this more tonight. I like that it gets me back doing the work that I enjoy but makes time for me to keep working on the ranch too. With this kind of set-up, I can pick and choose which jobs to do. It require hiring some men to work for us and we would have to have an office in town."

"We?"

"Of course. You came up with the idea, and I'm going to need someone to sit in that office and wait for clients to show up, handle correspondence, and keep the books. It's your idea, but if you don't want to have any part in it, say so now, and we can drop the whole thing."

"No, oh no, I was surprised that I didn't have to even ask you. You assumed that I would want to be part of it. I do, but how did you know?"

"When I left Australia, you knew I was headed back to Nevada, and you knew that once I got here, I would probably never leave again, didn't you?" Cat nodded. "How did you know?"

"I just knew because I knew you and what you loved and what was important to you." Cat got a knowing look then that drew a bit of a smirk from Adam. "We are getting to know each other quite well, aren't we?"

"Yes, and this idea of yours is going to take some work and some planning which means it is going to take some time to put together. Time is something that is in short supply around here right now so I'm going to have to ask you to be patient about getting this going. We'll talk about it and work out as much as we can, but until Pa and Joe get back, I don't think we can do anything concrete."

That was clearly disappointing to Cat, but Adam had another suggestion.

"I'm going to be working on the ledgers and correspondence all day and probably for much of this week. I also have to set the cornerstones and foundation for the addition for Candy and Fanny. Between those two things, I'm going to be at the main house every day. Do you want to walk over with me and spend the day? Benny can be there with us so he and I can spend some time together, and we can talk some. You can even help with the correspondence when Benny is napping if you have the time and the inclination."

By the time that Adam and Cat got to the main house, Hoss and Candy had finished breakfast and were saddling up to ride out. That surprised Adam who had thought Candy was going to stay and help him set the cornerstones and foundation for the addition.

"Well, I could have if you would have gotten up a bit earlier." Candy was worried about Fanny but the anxiety expressed it self in anger and Adam got to be the target this time.

"Hey, I was working twelve and fourteen hours a day at the timber camps. I think I deserved one good night's sleep and a chance to be with my family."

"Hey, you two, we got enough trouble without you two fighting so cut it out."

With a glower at Candy, Adam turned to Hoss. "What kind of trouble now?"

"With all the gold seekers heading through again with rumors of fresh strikes, we've had a lot of men stealing cattle and some trying their luck at finding gold on the Ponderosa. We've got crews chasing them out of the pastures and away from the herds. We're going to have to set guards on all the cattle."

"Hoss, I'm not going to be able to help with that. I got one look at Pa's desk yesterday, and it looks like it could take me a week to clear up all that paperwork that piled up there."

"I know. I told Candy that we had to handle things. He ain't too happy about it as you could tell. Now we best be going and you can get to work. We'll be back at lunch and we can talk over what we're going to do about being short-handed."

"We're short-handed too?"

"Yeah, some of the new hires caught the gold fever and took off. Dang fools don't know that thirty dollars a month with food and a place to sleep is a sight more than they're going to get looking for gold that they ain't gonna find." As Candy rode out first, Hoss spoke softly to Adam. "I know you're tired and real busy already, but could you set the cornerstones first? Candy is mighty wound up about Fanny and her not feeling her best."

"Of course, Hoss, I can do that. Cat can spend some time with her too. You tell him we'll take good care of her while he's gone."

"I'll do that. I'm glad you got your claws back in. Working with him lately been like being in a cage with a hungry cougar looking at me like I'm dinner. Course, I'm used to that having you for a brother."

As Adam rolled his eyes, Hoss chuckled and rode out after Candy. Cat came up to Adam and asked about what Hoss had said to him. He explained and shrugged with the extra work he knew he would have now. He expected a trip or two to town to try to hire men would be on his docket as well as building the addition and getting the paperwork done. At least he would be home at night with his wife and son. He felt better already after spending one night at home and told Cat that. She smiled at him before knocking on the door of Candy's quarters and then going inside to see how Fanny was doing this morning. They didn't see each other for four hours. At lunchtime, Adam felt a soft touch on his shoulder and turned to find Cat at his side with Benny resting in her arms.

"He's ready for a nap, and Hop Sing has lunch ready. Hoss and Candy should be back soon, and Fanny is taking a nap too. It looks like you made a lot of progress here."

"Yes, I measured out and laid the cornerstones and got the support beams in place and the crossbeams for the floor. If Candy can help later with setting the corner posts, then I can frame the walls tomorrow. When Candy has time to help, we'll set the roof joists next. On the weekend, I'm hoping we can find time to put a roof on. From that point, I can do all of the rest of the work myself."

"Candy should be very pleased with what you've accomplished so far for him."

"Yes and maybe he'll stop his sniping at me."

"Oh, I doubt that very much. You two are too much alike to stop that. I can see you both when you're ninety years old and arguing which one of you has the better cane and who can fall more gracefully."

"You think we're rivals?"

"No, I do think you push each other. The way I see it, Candy wants to prove that he's just as good a man as you are, and you think you have an edge on him and you push hard to keep it. It keeps both of you doing your best to be better than what you were."

"I thought we were friends."

"Oh, you are that too. You should have seen Candy for the week you were gone moping around here complaining that he couldn't get a decent chess match with you stuck up in the hills pushing timber instead of cattle or paper." Adam laughed as his short slim wife tried to imitate the lanky cowboy who walked around the corner of the building about that time.

"Now you're making fun of me too?"

"No, I was telling Adam how much you missed his chess matches while he was gone. He got the cornerstones and the floor joists set for you."

"Great, now all we need is another month, and maybe we can get a wall added on."

"Now, Candy, that isn't fair. I know you're worried about Fanny, but this crabbiness of yours has got to stop. It doesn't help anyone especially Fanny. I spent the morning with her, and I could tell that your lousy mood has not been helping. I want you to drop that attitude right now and put a smile on that face or I'll be planting a boot in your backside every time I see one of those scowls or hear you spout off like you just did. Now lunch is ready. Fanny is taking a nap so clean up, smile, be thankful for what you have and stop whining about what you can't change, and come on in for lunch." Cat stalked off with Benny who had fallen asleep and stayed that way through her quiet but intense tirade.

Somewhat in shock, Candy turned to Adam when Cat rounded the building and disappeared from view. "You get that a lot?"

"Nope, I rarely get that, but as you can tell, I don't want to get that so I watch what I say and what I do. She's not kidding, by the way. She meant what she said."

"Then I guess I better start with an apology. Sorry for what I said earlier. Thanks for what you've done so far. What's the plan for the rest of it?"

So as Adam and Candy went to get cleaned up for lunch, Adam explained his plan for completing the addition. He told Candy he needed to spend that afternoon on paperwork, and that the next day, he would have to go to town to try to hire more men. Then there would be more paperwork, but in the evenings, they could get some of the work done on the addition and hopefully on the weekend, they could get the framework for the roof finished.

"It was a good plan of yours to have all the lumber cut to length and numbered. I never would have thought of doing something like that, but now I see the advantage. It sure speeds up the process."

The next day, Adam did go to town but managed to hire only two men. That was disappointing but there was another letter from Ben, and there was a letter from Cat's father, Pleasant Wickenburg. Adam also saw Ailis when he was at the store and he invited her to come to the ranch for a visit. After her first comment to him, he decided he had to do some damage control for his big brother.

"Oh, I doubt Hoss has time for me. He hasn't bothered to come see me in several weeks. I guess that he got what he wanted and now he's not interested."

"Now, Ailis, let me tell you what's been happening on the ranch and why Hoss hasn't been by to see you." Adam did a complete explanation of all the problems that they had been having on the ranch including that Fanny wasn't feeling well.

"Would you like me to come out there to help with Fanny? I'm good at taking care of people who aren't feeling well, and her family took care of me when I lost my family so I kinda owe her too."

"I like the idea. Why don't you get your things and pack enough to stay until Sunday at least. We'll call it a visit for now, and if Fanny wants you to stay longer, then we'll hire you as a caregiver for her. How's that for a plan?"

"That's a fine plan, Adam. I'll pack and be back here in a short time."

As she left, Adam was hoping that he had made a good decision because he wasn't sure of what Hoss and Candy were going to think but because he had set it up as a visit, there was no commitment to a long term stay if the two men didn't like the idea. He gathered the supplies and the letters and waited for Ailis to return. Once they got back to the Ponderosa, all of Adam's doubts about his decision vanished. The look of joy on Hoss' face was a thing of beauty as far as Adam was concerned, and Candy's frown lines noticeably diminished when Ailis told Fanny that she would be there as her companion and helper if she wanted her and Fanny began laughing but with tears flowing because the relief was so great.

The letter from Ben made everyone smile when he said that Joe had found New Orleans to be even more fun than when he had visited there as a child. They had enjoyed the music, the food, and the sights, but Joe had been anxious to move on to buying horses so they had left after only eight days in the city. Ben was confident now that they would be buying horses soon and shipping some home. He told Adam to watch for telegrams notifying him of delivery. The letter from Pleasant made Cat joyous but Adam nervous. Pleasant was keeping his promise to come for a fall visit. According to his letter, he would be there within a week or two. The letter must have gone out only a short time before he began his trip. That night, Adam was grateful to be resting in his own bed beside his wife who was snuggled into his side, but he found sleep elusive. There was so much going on, and he had so many thoughts that he couldn't shut down his mind until the early hours of the morning.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Each day was packed into a tight schedule for Adam and Candy for the following week. Each morning they were up early and worked on the addition while Ailis helped Fanny bathe and dress for the day. She rarely ate more than biscuits and tea in the morning but Ailis took care of that too. Then Candy would head out to handle the cattle and horse operations while Adam headed inside to handle the paperwork. They would have lunch together and talk over what needed to be done that afternoon and sometimes Adam would have to ride out and sometimes he would head back to the paperwork or into town. Hoss couldn't help because he was up on the far pastures with the men guarding against the gold seekers taking cattle. Each group didn't take more than a few but with the hundreds of men passing through, the losses would have been substantial if they didn't stop the slow bleeding off of their cattle. On one of Adam's trips to town, he got more bad news when he saw Roy Coffee who hailed him and asked after his father and Joe but then had bad news to deliver.

"Adam, I know you been having a string of bad luck out on your place with people traveling through and the trouble up in the timber camps and with your Pa gone with Joe and now Candy's wife feeling so poorly with her baby coming soon, but I got to tell you that there's been more trouble on the ranches hereabouts."

"What kind of trouble, Roy? It's got to be more than a few head of cattle here and there or you wouldn't be bothering to tell me."

"No, it ain't. Over the last week, there's been three times that rustlers have taken quite big bunches of cattle from three different ranches. They seem darn well organized. I been warning ranchers as I see them, but, you know I'm shorthanded too, and with all the men coming through here, there's been more than the usual trouble in town here." Roy had seen the telltale signs of Adam's temper rising and had done what he could to explain why no one had ridden out to warn them.

"I understand, Roy. We're so shorthanded that it's getting to be a serious problem. We're going to have to drive more than the usual number of cattle to market this fall or we're not going to be able to keep up with the work."

"How about the timber camps? You losing loggers too?"

"No, the gold rushes and rumors of gold rushes never seem to have much effect on us there. It's the temporary hands we hire who seem to go off first, but that means the other hands have to work harder than usual. There's a lot of grumbling about now."

"If you can stand some green hands, some Irish arrived and the mines aren't hiring right now. I think you could get a few of them to work for you at least for a few months until the mines are hiring."

"Where would I find them?"

"Probably find some at any saloon with sandwiches and beer." At Adam's raised eyebrow, Roy nodded and smiled. "Most have been doing odd jobs and day jobs. They have to eat, and they make enough to get by."

"Well, we could probably use two for ordinary chores. If I could find any who could ride, we could use them doing some basic work with the cattle. If they could shoot, that would be even better."

"I'll walk over there with you. I've haven't had any trouble with any of them, but it won't hurt to have me there to look them over and talk with them too if you're serious about hiring any of them."

When Adam arrived at the saloon that Roy pointed out as the usual place for the Irish to congregate, he found a dozen men nursing warm beer and talking. Empty plates were on the tables. He greeted the bartender and told him he had an announcement to make. He asked for attention and then asked if any of the men were interested in full time work for the next two months. That got their attention and brought questions about what kind of work and for how much money.

"It's working on my family's ranch, the Ponderosa, for thirty dollars a month and includes three meals a day and a place to sleep. I need two men who can muck out stables and do basic chores. Anyone with blacksmith skills or who can ride a horse would be looking at working for us longer and possibly getting paid more. If you can shoot, right now we're paying bonuses to men who are guarding our range against gold seekers who are trying to steal our cattle. Anyone here interested?"

"Darby here is the only one of use who ever shot a gun. He worked as a constable for a time and even did some hunting."

Roy perked up at that. "Adam, I'm claiming Darby if he's interested. Which one of you is Darby?" Darby stood up a bit nervous to have the sheriff interested in him. "I need another deputy. Are you interested in the job? You'd be in charge of the jail at night keeping watch if we have any prisoners and taking a walk around town every hour or two making sure nothing is amiss. If it was, it would be your job to come get me or my chief deputy. You interested in doing that?"

"What's the pay?"

"Thirty dollars a month, same as on the Ponderosa, but a lot of businesses in town will hire you too to work extra hours. Most of my deputies earn twice as much on their off hours as guards at the bank and other businesses. Being one of my deputies is what qualifies you for one of those jobs."

"So you're saying I might be making as much as ninety dollars a month?"

"I'm saying that you could, but it wouldn't be unusual for you to make at least fifty or sixty dollars a month."

"Sheriff, I'll be wanting that job if you'll be wanting to hire me."

"Adam, I'll leave you to talk with these men. Me and my new deputy got to walk over to the office and get him squared away to come to work tonight."

Adam found one man with blacksmith experience and experience with carpentry and coopering. He hired him and one man who had some limited experience riding horses. He decided to go ahead and hire two men on a trial basis to do chores although he told them it might only be for a month until his father and brother returned. They weren't upset because it was better than what they had before. Adam was glad he had brought the bigger wagon to town because he had room for all four men and the supplies he had purchased. He went in and bought more food and added those crates to the wagon. Then he got the mail and was about to leave town when the stage arrived. Out of curiosity he waited to see who disembarked and wasn't too surprised to see Pleasant step down. It had been that kind of week. He turned to the men and told them that his father-in-law had just arrived and would be traveling back with them. Then he climbed down from the wagon and went to tell Pleasant that he could ride in the buckboard if he wanted to go to the Ponderosa that day. He caught the man by surprise so Pleasant had no excuse ready and had to agree. Things were a bit tense when Adam introduced him to the new hires, but when he told them that Pleasant was from Australia, they noticeably relaxed. It took some time to get to the ranch and all of the men were surprised at how far away from town it was. Pleasant had no idea either that his daughter lived quite so far from town even though he had often referred to the Ponderosa as being in the wilderness. Now he actually thought it was true.

"It's a big country, Pleasant. It takes a lot of room to have a ranch the size of Rhode Island." Adam had seen the expression on the man's face, and it didn't take too much to know what he was thinking.

"When will we get to this ranch then?"

"We've been on it for almost an hour. We'll get to the main house in about fifteen minutes more." Adam loved surprising people with that information and it was even more satisfying to wipe that smug look off Pleasant's face. He smirked and Pleasant saw it, but he had no comeback for the information he had received.

That evening, Pleasant was settled in at Adam's home. Cat had been very happy to see her father, but she noted that Adam was not pleased to have him there. Once they were in their bedroom, she questioned him about that.

"I think he wants you to go back with him to Australia for a visit. He didn't bring much luggage so he's not planning to stay long. Cat, I'm so busy that I won't have time to be much of a host and that puts him with you, and it worries me that he's going to be working on you trying to get you to return with him."

"Adam Cartwright, you better not be saying that you don't trust me. If you are, you are in big trouble, mister."

"No, sweetheart, I trust you. I don't trust him. I don't want you to have to deal with him on your own, and I have so much work to do that I don't know how I can help you."

"Have some confidence in me. I'm a lot stronger woman than you think I am. I've learned a lot, and I did manage to come all the way here on my own while I was carrying Benny, I took care of you, and I manage this house and help with a lot of other things at the other house. I can handle my father. Trust me."

"I do trust you. I love you, but is it all right if I worry about you a little?" Adam stepped close to Cat and wrapped his arms around her pulling her close as he untied the ribbons holding her gown closed.

"As long as it's only a little, then that would be fine, but I sense that talking isn't what's on your mind right now."

It wasn't. They slept well that night even though he had not thought that he would. When he awoke, Cat was already up which was a surprise because it was a rare occasion that she awoke before he did. He dressed and found her downstairs with Benny and making breakfast.

"You must have enjoyed last night very much. You certainly were sleeping soundly this morning. Benny was crying and you never moved. I got him and brought him down here. Breakfast is almost ready. Father is not an early riser normally and after all that travel, I don't expect to see him for another hour or two. You go do your work and don't worry. We'll visit here, and you can come back here for lunch."

Still a little worried, Adam agreed, but as soon as noon approached, he headed back to his house eager to find how things had gone with his daughter and her father. He always walked and moved quietly so Pleasant never heard him come in the back door of the house and go to the washroom off the kitchen. As she washed for lunch, he heard Cat and her father talking.

"Father, Adam told me that you were going to ask me to do that. He knew, and I suspected as much. I will never visit Australia again for the reasons I told you earlier but the main one will always be that I can never fully trust you again. I know that you are an honest man, but when it comes to me, you seem to lose your sense of right and wrong."

"I made that one mistake and regretted it before I could act on it. I hope that someday you will forgive me that transgression. No, I had to ask because I had to know how committed you were to living here. It is important to a decision I have to make or have made really."

"A decision you've made?"

"Yes, it's terribly lonely for me in Australia knowing that my daughter is in America and my only grandchild is here. My wife is in Australia but she is there in the earth. All that I have of her are memories. I'm thinking of relocating my business to San Francisco."

Adam walked out of the washroom at that point nearly as shocked as Cat was by that revelation. Pleasant was surprised to see him because he had never heard him enter the house and wasn't aware of the back entrance because Adam had cleverly concealed it so that it was not readily visible when someone looked at the house which had very clean architectural lines.

"I have no idea how you got in here, but I suppose you heard what I told Catherine?"

"Yes, I did, and I'm very surprised."

"I don't know why you would be. Ships only need harbors, and I can build warehouses anywhere. I don't believe that I could live here even though I recall that at one point you did make that offer. However, even though I took the stage for the last leg of the trip this time because I did not wish to wait for the train to be repaired, it is my understanding that normally there is regular rail traffic between here and San Francisco or I could travel by river to Sacramento and then by rail to here. Either way, travel would be reasonably convenient and that works both ways, I presume."

"What brought about this sudden change of heart?" Adam was still suspicious.

"It was not sudden. I went back to Australia and that house is big and empty and very quiet. It was a reminder every time I entered and every time I awoke in the morning of what I had lost, what I had pushed away. I decided I had to do whatever I could to see what I could do about seeing my daughter and my grandson again, and my son-in-law if he can ever forgive me."

"If you live in San Francisco, you'll still have an empty house."

"Yes, you see, but not always. I am hoping that when you come to the city on business, that you will stay there, and I hope that there will be times in the future when Benny is able to travel and all of you might stay there and create new memories every time. If I get too melancholy, I can be here in three to five days and see all of you. You did offer at one time to have an apartment for me. I won't need anything so elaborate, but I would like my own bedroom so that I can have some of my things here. Would that be acceptable to you? It would make it more convenient for me to travel and not have to bring so much stuff with me."

"You only brought a few bags with you."

"Oh no, that is all that I carried myself because the train had a breakdown. The rest of it will arrive when the train is repaired and makes its run here. No I have many more bags. I only brought what I needed for the first two days hoping that the rest would be here by then. Perhaps today or tomorrow we could go to town to retrieve my other luggage?"

Adam shook his head as Cat laughed. Some things about her father were unlikely to ever change. "Adam is very busy, but I can take you in the carriage tomorrow. We can take Benny with us and take a tour of some of the pretty spots of the Ponderosa that you didn't get to see on your way here."

"That would be splendid. Thank you."

"Cat, perhaps Ailis could go with you so you have some help with Benny if you need it."

"Adam, she needs to stay with Fanny. I'll be fine. Don't worry."

But Adam did worry, but at least he didn't have to worry about his father and Joe. The latest letter was all good news.

Dear Family

Greetings from Texas. We have finally purchased a horse. It as a magnificent stallion. It is only one so he is traveling with us for now. We have gotten some leads on ranches to visit further west and are mapping out travel plans. We won't be staying in any one place longer than necessary to check out the horses and perhaps purchase one or more. We hope to be back in a month with a string of fine horses. Joe is excited already at the prospect of the horses we'll be able to breed with the new stock he's sure that we can find with the recommendations we've gotten, and he hasn't forgotten about the horse farms in Kentucky either. Things are certainly looking up.

My love,

Your father.

"It seems this trip has been good for both of them." Hoss leaned back and smiled. He had not realized how much a trip like this would make his father seem more excited about the future as well. Adam and Candy agreed with him. Now if they could only resolve some of the problems with rustling before Ben Cartwright got home so that he wouldn't have to immediately face a crisis on his return. They spent some time discussing options but could come up with nothing new.


	7. Chapter 7

5

 **Chapter 7**

The next morning, Hoss, Adam, and Candy were commiserating about their women troubles as they readied their horses for a day of riding. Adam had already gotten the carriage ready for Cat and her father to take a trip to Virginia City. He wasn't happy about the idea but knew he couldn't forbid her to go. Candy was reluctant to leave Fanny at all even with Ailis there to care for her because based on what Cat and Ailis had told him, the baby could arrive any time even if it wasn't due for several more weeks. Cat's experience with Benny was enough for her to know that babies didn't always listen to what the doctor said about when they were supposed to arrive. She had told Candy that she would stop in and talk with Doctor Martin to see if he would come out to see Fanny soon. That did little to ease Candy's anxiety that day though. Adam did his best to try to help.

"Candy, I was like you before Benny was born, and it all worked out. Like me, you have to remember that Fanny is a very strong and healthy woman. She's been very uncomfortable with all the extra weight and with food causing her a lot of distress after every meal, but her color is good. Ailis said that the baby is moving normally and everything seems to be the way it's supposed to be."

"When Cat was getting close to having Benny, did stuff that people said to you like that help you at all?" Rather sheepishly, Adam had to admit that it didn't. "Well, thank you for trying, but you better than most have to know that the only thing that will really help right now is for that baby to be born healthy and for Fanny to come through it with no problems. The next few weeks while I wait for that are going to be real rough on me. I hope you both understand, and that you'll give me as much time home here as you can spare."

"Dadburnit, Candy, I been doing all I can. I only been home a couple of nights in the last few weeks. Ailis is wondering if I really care about her. She thinks I value my work over her. I tried to tell her that ain't true. Maybe the two of you could help me out there and let her know it's because of you two that I ain't had any time to be with her."

"I'll talk with her, Hoss. I can't let my big brother lose the best chance at happiness that he's ever had. Besides, in a few days, I ought to be able to spend more time helping you out. I'm making some headway on the paperwork, and Candy and I have the addition all roughed in now. I'm hoping that new man I hired can get in there and do the sanding, varnishing, and painting as needed. In fact, I hope he can put in the inside walls too. All tha's left is to cut the door and that room will be ready."

"So that's one less job for you and Candy to have to do. Well, that's a relief. When can he start?"

"Cat is going to get the rest of the supplies when she's in town today. I got most of them already. The lumber is inside so all that's left to do is cut the door and put in the windows. Then he can work in there every day. We can put in the windows this evening and cut the door."

"That's sounds great. What's the plan for the morning?"

"I'm going to follow the carriage to town just to make sure there's no trouble. I don't like it that Cat is going in with only her father. I'll take one man with me and leave him to ride as an outrider when they come back. Then I'm back to the paperwork. What about you two?"

"We're going to check on the herds and look for any sign of those rustlers Roy told you about. If we see any sign, we're thinking of tracking them to try to surprise them before they surprise us."

Later the three of them would recall this conversation and wish that things had gone so smoothly. Instead this was the beginning of a great deal of turmoil that lasted for several days. It began first with Adam who followed the carriage from a distance and well off to the side. He swore when he saw some men riding from the trees and begin chasing the carriage. He knew he was too far away to catch them before they overtook the carriage so he rode fast to get to an overlook where he knew he would have a clear sightline to the road. He prayed that Cat would keep control of the carriage and get that far without overturning the carriage and he prayed that Pleasant would do nothing to interfere with her doing that. His thoughts about his father-in-law at that point were venomous. The hand rode with him trusting that Adam had a plan.

In the carriage, the situation was bleak. Cat was terrified. With Benny in a small cradle at her feet, she had been talking with her father and thinking that they were finally having the kind of relationship that she had dreamed they could have. When the men rode from the trees and fired shots, she turned to him with anger wondering what he had done but was confused when he asked if there was a weapon in the carriage. She didn't say anything at first.

"Catherine, damn it, girl, is there a weapon here? Those highwaymen mean us harm."

Still unsure of what was happening, she reverted to the dutiful daughter and answered. "Under the blanket, under the seat. There's a shotgun and some shells in a tin."

"Keep low and keep driving, but don't go too fast. If you overturn the carriage, they'll have us all." Pushing the cradle gently aside, Pleasant reached for the shotgun and opened the tin and loaded the unwieldy weapon. "Not very good unless they get close but it will have to do." He pointed it around the corner of the carriage at the man closest to them and fired one shot. It did no damage but it did surprise the men who slowed their pursuit somewhat. Pleasant reloaded the weapon and turned and fired once more. The men fanned out and began their pursuit in earnest once more. "I was afraid of that. It seems they have some military training."

One man went down with a rifle shot and then a horse went down with another. The remaining men turned to flee heading back the way they had come. Two more rifle shots rang out but did no more damage. The man whose horse had been killed ran to get the horse of the man who was wounded. He took the man's horse and rode after his departing comrades leaving the wounded man behind. Cat had pulled the carriage to a stop and looked at her father.

"You didn't hire them. You helped me against them."

"Of course I did. You didn't think I could be such a terrible old fool twice, did you? I did tell you I learned my lesson the last time. You didn't get to be such a smart woman by having a stupid father. Any man can make a very big mistake and I made mine. I learned. There may still be things that you and your husband don't like about me and how I conduct my life, but I will never do anything to harm you. I have to assume that was him firing that rifle?"

"I have to assume the same. On the one hand I wish he had trusted you and that he had trusted me, but of course, if he had, we would be in far more trouble now. Don't tell him I said that."

"I won't, but what amazes me is that Benny is not crying."

"He's a lot like his father. There may be danger and problems, but he's warm and comfortable, and he's with his family, so he's fine."

About that time, Adam and one of the hands rode up to them and Adam had the strangest expression on his face. It made both Cat and Pleasant chuckle. Cat smirked and then told him what she thought he could do. "You should probably go do whatever you're going to do with the man you shot. I guess you could tie him in the boot, and we could take him in to Roy."

Reminded that there was a wounded man laying in the grass behind them, Adam turned to ride with the hand to locate the man who was somewhat reluctant to reveal himself until he heard Adam's declaration. "I shot you from a quarter mile away. What do you think I can do to you from one hundred feet? Toss your pistol out and raise your hand or I'm going to find you from higher ground and shoot you so we don't have to risk getting shot." The pistol was tossed out and they saw the man raise his arm up high and then heard his voice.

"I'm hit too bad to raise it any higher."

Turning to the hand, Adam pointed to where the arm was raised. "See to him. I want to go check on my family and I'll get them to bring the carriage back here." When Adam got back to the carriage, he looked at Pleasant and had to ask. "You had nothing to do with this?"

"Of course not. I helped defend my daughter and my grandson."

Adam looked to Cat who had been almost as surprised as her husband. "It's true, Adam. I know it's a surprise, but he really is sincere in what he has said to us."

"I really do wish I had a better weapon available to use other than this blunderbuss. With thos men coming up on us, I think a rifle or pistol would have been more suitable. If I'm going to be spending time in the wilderness here, I suppose I ought to get the proper armament."

"I'll get you taken care of." Then Adam directed Cat to drive the carriage back to the wounded man as he went to the dead horse and stripped it of the rifle and saddlebags. He searched the saddlebags but found nothing useful. He rode back to the carriage and handed the rifle and some cartridges to Pleasant and then got the discarded pistol and gunbelt from the wounded man and gave those to him as well. "You should be able to defend yourself and them with those."

"Thank you, Adam. It's good to know you trust me."

"Don't ever give me cause to doubt it. You'll regret it."

"I know that. I regret the one time I did make that terrible mistake. It will never happen again."

"Cat, I'm sending the hand with you as a precaution. I'm going to track the others to see what direction they went before I head back to the ranch for help. Stay in town until I get there to escort you back. I think they meant to kidnap you or Benny or both. You need to keep our son safe so stay there until you see me." Walking to the man who was in the back of the carriage by then with his hands and feet tied and a bandage over his wound, Adam pressed his pistol up against the man's chin. "Kidnapping my wife and son was the plan?"

"Yeah, but only when the guys saw them this morning leaving the ranch. We was gonna just watch to see where all the hands went so we would know where we could go to get some cattle without any trouble, but they saw them leave and decided that it would be worth a lot more to have her than a hundred cows. We didn't know there was kid along. The old man looked like a dandy so we didn't figure him for any trouble."

"Where are they keeping the cattle they rustled?"

"I could find my way there but I don't know the names of any of the places, and I can't ride them hills like this."

"Where were you going to take them once you thought you had enough?"

"California."

That narrowed it down enough for Adam. He planned to find the tracks to get a general idea and then get help to ride on the rustlers. He had hoped originally that the gunfire would have drawn some men from the Ponderosa to check but they must have been too far away to be heard. He kissed Cat and told her to be careful before heading out on the track of the rustlers and would be kidnappers. A half hour later as he was thinking it was time to head to the house for help, he heard a gun battle not more than a few miles ahead. He turned to ride hard in that direction. Before he got there, it was all over. He rode in on a scene that was the aftermath of chaos with dead and wounded men scattered over a wide area. He saw Candy kneeling by Hoss who was on the ground and felt great relief as he neared them to hear Hoss complaining.

"Dadblamed little jasper stuck me right in the backside after I thought I had him unarmed. Took his rifle and pistol away, and he pulled a dadblamed knife from his boot and shoved in right into my behind. Now how do you explain that to people when they ask where you got wounded and how?"

"You tell them the truth and let them be embarrassed to ask any more questions. Now what the hell happened here?"

Candy answered because Hoss grimaced in pain as Candy pressed a thick pad of cloth to the wound to stop the bleeding. "We found tracks of cattle being driven this way. It was pretty suspicious because we figured no one was moving cattle this way unless it was a drive and no one was on a drive at the moment. It had to be the rustlers. We had arrived here and found the fences they had hidden with brush and the cattle stuck behind the fences when they rode in here like somebody was chasing them. Sit shocked us and shocked them. They started shooting so we had no choice but to shoot back. There were twice as many of us so they never stood a chance plus most of us were already on foot so we got to cover a lot faster. Besides Hoss, we have two men wounded but no one dead. They've got two dead and the rest are all wounded. We'll patch them up and haul them into town as soon as we take care of our own."

"They rode back here in a panic because they tried to kidnap Cat and Benny. Pleasant shot at them and I shot one and knocked another off his horse. They took off probably thinking they had to get these cattle and get out of here before we could get a posse together and come after them. They never expected that you were already looking for them." Looking thoughtful for a moment, Adam turned back to Candy and Hoss. "How about if we bury the two dead one's here and take their horses back to the ranch. We have new hands who don't have horses or saddles. We can outfit them with those. There's another saddle and set of gear on a dead horse by the road to town. We can get that too."

Getting into the spirit of it, Candy had one more suggestion. "We can collect their rifles and pistols too. That way we can make sure all the men have proper firearms too. We can give them to the four new hands and have a few more if we hire any more."

"It's dadblamed scary how much you two can think alike sometimes. Now what's your plan for getting me back to the house and don't you even say travois."

"Now, Hoss, your brother might do something like that, but I wouldn't. You rest easy there, and I'll send a man back for a wagon and some shovels. I'll tell him to put a mattress in the back for you. We can carry the extra weapons in the wagon and get you home comfortably too."

Leaving Candy to handle things there, Adam rode to town with the men who were escorting the prisoners. Roy already had the wounded man in a cell after Doc Martin had patched him up and then had a half-dozen more who needed the same treatment. Adam explained why when Roy complained about them all being wounded. Because he had to care for the wounded men, Paul wasn't able to go to the Ponderosa to see to Fanny but promised to be there the next day. That night, Adam and Pleasant had the most meaningful conversation that they had probably ever had. They talked about how they might better find ways to get along to be a better family for Cat and Benny. One offer by Pleasant surprised Adam.

"I could help you with the paperwork until your father returns. You know that it is one thing that I am quite good at doing." Adam raised an eyebrow in surprise even as Cat looked hopefully at him. It would give them more time together and resolve some of the problems of the ranch as well. "Adam, you may have some legitimate concerns about me as a man, but have you ever known me to be dishonest in business. If I have a business relationship with you, you know that you can trust me. Hire me if you must to do this, but know that I can do this for you. I'll be here for weeks yet, and it will keep me busy for part of each day doing something useful and freeing up more time for us to spend together as a family."

The next morning, Adam sat down with Pleasant to show him the books and what needed to be done before heading out to work on the ranch. Candy informed him that he was on his own though because Doctor Martin was coming to see Fanny so Candy wanted to be there for that. Hoss was going to be spending the next two weeks recovering and wouldn't be riding a horse. Adam had thought he would finally be able to spend time with his family only to find that he was going to be as busy as before. He lost his temper and snapped at Candy before riding off. Hoss knew that he was going to have to talk to the two men to work something out. The best news was that Paul arrived with a letter from Ben and they got to read that at lunch.

 _Dear Family_

 _We're putting together a fine string of horses now and working our way toward home and family. Both of us are anxious to return home now to see all of you and tell you of our adventures and to learn what has happened in our absence. Joe has been buying souvenirs here in New Mexico and Arizona and has shipped a number of things home. Many should arrive there shortly if they are not there already. Please do not open any of the crates because some of the items are presents and Joe wants to offer them to the recipients when we return. Each day is beautiful, and we rejoice in all that we have been blessed to have._

 _With love,_

 _Your father._

"Sounds like Pa got Joe better. Sounds like the both of them are feeling right happy. Dadburnit, we done good sending them off together, didn't we?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

That afternoon, Candy went to sit with Fanny while Ailis spent some time with Hoss. She was helping with his care too and it gave the two of them time to talk as well. That afternoon was pivotal in working out some of the relationship issues on the ranch. The first was that Fanny asked Candy why he wasn't working.

"Somebody has to be here with you. Ailis is with Hoss and Cat has Benny and her father so I'm sitting with you. You're my wife so it seemed that I ought to be the one."

"Candy, no one needs to sit with me every minute. Besides, Doctor Martin is likely to be back again tomorrow and he said I'm fine today. Now, you should be working. It's going to create problems if you don't." Candy dropped his head and scratched the back of his neck in a telltale sign to his wife that there were already problems. "Now you didn't let Adam take over all the work, did you?"

"His wife is fine, and Hoss is hurt. It seemed he could take a turn."

"Candy Canaday, I'm ashamed to hear you talk like that. If I was Adam, I would be very angry with you." That got another sheepish look from Candy. "You can't treat me like some fragile doll and risk ruining your place here on the ranch at the same time. I swear, Cat told me that Adam was unreasonable too when she was carrying Benny, but at least he had a reason with his mother dying when he was born. You need to get out there now and get to work. I don't expect to see you back here before dinner, mister."

"But what if you need something?"

"I have this big bell to ring, remember?"

"Oh, yeah." Adam had gotten a bell out of storage that he had used when he was a substitute school teacher and given it to Fanny so she could keep it beside her. If she needed anything and couldn't yell for help, she could ring the bell. Hop Sing and Ailis also stopped in to check on her about every hour bringing her snacks or something to drink so Candy knew she would be fine. It was his fear that something would happen to her that was the main issue.

"If you get busy with work, maybe you won't have so much time to worry. Now why don't you go out there to mend fences with Adam?"

"He's not mending fences, he's working with the branding crew. Oh, yeah, I'll mend some fences. Now, I will tell Ailis where I'm going and you better not try to do too much. Doc did say that you needed to take it easy because anything you did could start the baby wanting to come out."

"Honestly, Candy, I am tempted to do just that." Seeing his horrified expression, she backed off from that. "I won't. I did say I was tempted not that I was going to do it. But it's been a long time, and I wouldn't mind it being over."

"Only another few weeks, darling."

"Easy for you to say."

"Not as easy as you might think. Now anything you need before I go?"

There wasn't so within an hour, Candy was at the branding roundup helping Adam who didn't say much when he arrived. When they finished for the day though, he did ask him why he had a change of heart.

"Fanny set me straight. I'm getting more of an idea that she and Cat talk about us a bit and compare notes."

"Oh, I'm sure they do. Cat says we're a lot alike but that's part of the problem."

"How so?"

"She thinks we're competing with each other all the time to see who's best and we'll push each other too. We work well together though because we know what the other can and will do."

"Complicated."

"Sometimes."

"Sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have expected you to handle it all by yourself especially with Hoss laid up."

"Candy, I shouldn't have lost my temper either. If I had been a bit more diplomatic maybe we could have worked it out then."

"Maybe next time we'll do better."

"Maybe we will."

"And maybe not."

"And maybe not." Adam started laughing then and Candy joined in. They rode into the yard at the Ponderosa and saw Hoss resting on a cot on the porch. Hop Sing had brought it out there so that Hoss could get out of the house. Hoss called the two of them over to the porch ready to lay down the law about how they had to learn to work together. Candy tells him that there's not problem and Adam supports Candy.

"What? Us? We get along fine, Hoss. We're as close as brothers."

"Yes, big brother, you malign us so. Why, we are the best of friends, aren't we, Candy?"

"Yeah, you're about as close as two stallions fighting over one mare while trying to protect the six you already each got. I'm aiming to come along on that drive so the two of you don't kill each other."

"You aren't going to be ready to ride and sitting on a wagon seat isn't going to be any better. Hoss, we'll be fine and maybe our little brother will be back by that time and want to come along."

"You think he could be back. I'd be dadblamed happy to see him back here that quick."

"In the last letter, Pa said they were heading back toward home with horses. That letter took almost two weeks to get here. If they didn't stop too long along the way, they could almost be home now."

"As excited as it sounded like your brother was about those horses, he might have pushed pretty hard. I was expecting them to be home soon too."

The sound of horses reached them at about the same time that a dusty Joe and Ben rounded the corner of the stable leading ten horses. Joe grinned broadly when he saw his brothers and Candy on the porch. He jumped from his horse and rushed to hug both Candy and Adam as Ben more slowly approached and did the same but with less exuberance. Both men were surprised to see Hoss resting on a cot so there was a quick explanation of how Hoss was injured and where the injury was located. It was a measure of Joe's maturity that he didn't make a joke about Hoss' predicament but instead offered sincere regrets that his brother was hurt and unable to do the things he wanted to do.

"Not that we're not pleased to see you, Pa, but we are surprised to see you so soon. We were talking about it and expected that you might be home soon, but you must have made record time from Santa Fe."

"Oh, that letter was posted two days after we left. I wasn't able to finish it when we were still there. Joe started getting so excited about horse buying that he kept me on the move, and then all he could think about was getting home. I didn't have the heart to try to slow him down. Things look good around here. You must have had some rain. Other than the rustlers, were there any problems?"

With a glance at Candy and one at Hoss, Adam answered. "Oh, nothing too serious. We managed to handle things."

"Well, I suppose there's a pile of paper on my desk that needs clearing. Why don't you and I go inside and talk about that while Joe puts these horses in a corral?"

Adam looked a bit nervous at that but agreed and walked to the house with his father. Inside, Pleasant was working on the ledgers and correspondence. Cat was probably inside with Benny. Adam hoped it would go well. Meanwhile Joe turned to Candy.

"Well, you're going to be the one to help with the horses. C'mon. I can't do all the work around here by myself."

It took only a short time to put the horses in the corrals but another half hour for Joe to tell Candy about each one. When he finished, Candy had a question.

"You seem like a different man than the one who left here a few months ago."

"I am. I had to learn to be happy now before I run out of time. Grief made me selfish and made me think only on what I had lost. I forgot about what I had and the people who loved me and what they could give me. The peace I found when I was with Pa, talking with him, and falling asleep sober at night every night made me realize that. I mean he learned to live with a broken heart three times. Who better to teach me how to do it? He showed me that you go on and find the best of every day and remember your lost love the way she was, the sound of her voice, the feel of her hand on your cheek, and all the good things because they're not gone. They're in your heart and you haven't lost them. That's what I got back, my memories that I had buried along with everything else. Now I'm ready to go on living. It's what she would have wanted for me."

"I never knew her, Joe, but from everything I've heard about her, that seems like it's absolutely the truth."

"We talked a lot about my brothers too. I think I understand them better now too. Adam had a hard life as a kid and he lost three mothers. Pa thinks he's got that hard shell to protect himself. I always thought he was kind of hard all the way through but the memories of those late night talks and how he stood by me when I needed it came back. I've got a better idea now of how to get along with him."

"I suppose you wondered how a wonderful woman like Cat had fallen so in love with him, but now you know. When he opens up, he gives everything he's got."

"Yes, I think I was a bit jealous of what he had, and what you had too. You had these wonderful women who loved you both so much and I had no one. I didn't realize the reason I had no one was inside of me."

"Your brother gave me that kind of advice when I first met Fanny. He said to be with her and show her what kind of man I was and try to be nice to her and help her out. Instead of trying to impress her, I talked with her like a normal person. It worked out real well too."

"Yes, I can see that it did, and now I can see why Ailis is so taken with Hoss. I always thought too that I was pulling one over on Hoss with all the games and the schemes. Now I know he was playing along to help me out and to protect me. He wouldn't let me do these things on my own and get into a terrible mess I couldn't get myself out of. He's a good man with a great heart. She sees that."

"Lots of women missed on a great husband because they never took the time to see what was inside that big man. She's a smart lady, and she got a great man."

"You think they're going to get married?"

"Yep. It was only that they had to wait until you and your Pa got back. I bet the date will get set real soon now."

"That great news. I'm glad my brothers are happy. They have always been there for me. I figured out that they maneuvered me into this trip. They did it really well too. I was halfway through the trip before I even questioned it. When Pa got that look when I asked him about it was when I knew, and then I knew you were in on it too. You all knew I needed help, and you all stepped up to do what had to be done. I know it couldn't have been easy here, but you all did it for me. Thank you. I'm going to thank Adam, and I'm going to thank Hoss too when I get the chance like I've had here with you."

"Joe, I'm glad you're not mad about it. We only wanted you to get better and figured your Pa was the one who could do it."

"You were right about that, and how could I be mad about a couple of months with my Pa all to myself, and getting to buy horses, and I got to go to New Orleans. Let me tell you, I want to go back there and not with my father."

"And now you sound like the Joe I remember."

Inside the house, things did not go nearly as well. Ben was shocked to find that Adam had trusted Pleasant with the ledgers and correspondence. Before there could be a major confrontation over it, Adam took Cat and Benny and stormed out to return to his house leaving Pleasant behind. He offered to explain to Ben everything that he had done but Ben dismissed his offer with a glower and sat at his desk and began examining the books. Pleasant went to the kitchen and asked Hop Sing for a cup of coffee. He sat in a red leather chair by the fireplace and waited. On the porch, Hoss explained to Candy and Joe what had happened because he had been able to overhear the exchanges from where he was. There had been no more sounds from inside since and Joe and Candy helped Hoss to move inside hoping that dinner was ready. It was but Hop Sing was reluctant to announce it with the mood that Ben was in. He gave a tray to Candy for him and Fanny. Joe took two plates and filled them and told Candy to help Hoss back to the porch so they could eat there. They exited with their food leaving Pleasant still sitting silently in the red leather chair sipping his coffee and Ben pouring over the books. After what seemed an interminable time but was about two hours, Ben looked up knowing that Pleasant was still there.

"It seems I owe you an apology. Everything is in order here and very well done besides. I've never seen books kept more neatly."

"Thank you."

"We should have dinner now. I'm surprised that Hop Sing hasn't been haranguing us to eat by now. It's after seven."

"First, don't you have someone else who deserves an apology from you?"

Bristling from that rebuke, Ben had retort ready but choked it down. He had been forced into having to make an apology already without needing to have to make another. "I suppose so but you have to admit this was an unconventional arrangement that he knew was going to surprise me. He could have given me some warning to prepare me."

"I daresay he was going to do that. No one expected you back so soon. I was nearly done with what I was doing here, and with the rustlers rounded up, things looked to be calming down a bit though he was talking about this roundup and a drive that he mentioned as being rather significant."

"It is significant. It is one of the two major sources of income that we have each year."

"But you have the timber and the lumber mill too."

"Yes, and we sell horses as well, but still the biggest one time cash infusion always comes with a successful cattle drive. The costs are low, but the profit is high."

"Actually, Adam and I did a cost-benefit ratio for all the income producing activities of the ranch and the cattle are at the bottom of the list."

"A what?"

"It's a new way of calculating profits that the railroads and shipping companies are using. It is applicable to any business of course. You figure in fixed costs and variable costs to find your break-even point so that you can accurately calculate your profit for any endeavor. I use it in my company to manage my pricing. It works very well."

Unwilling to admit that he had not understood the terminology much less the concept, Ben dismissed the whole conversation. He simply asked if Pleasant was willing to go with him to Adam's house where Ben was going to deliver an apology and then greet his grandson and daughter-in-law properly. Pleasant of course agreed. When Ben passed his sons on the porch, he told them where he was going and asked why they weren't eating their dinner inside. He walked away before either was forced to answer. On the way to Adam's house, Ben was silent as he thought through what he had to say. Once he got there, he knocked on the door and was going to wait except Pleasant opened the door and went inside so Ben had no choice but to follow. Adam rose from a chair by the fireplace where he had been sitting. Cat and Benny were not there.

"I had hoped to say goodnight to my grandson. I know it was all my fault but I didn't get to see him before."

"Cat is putting him to bed. It's past his bedtime."

Adam's words were clipped and his voice was in a monotone. Ben knew that his son was still very angry. He took a deep breath and delivered his apology.  
"What I said before was completely uncalled for. I came home perhaps hoping that things had not gone well in my absence. I guess I wanted to think that I was essential and that you couldn't run the place without me. Instead, the ranch has never looked better. Then I found that you dealt with not one but two major crises and came out of both better than you went into them. Other than Hoss being injured, nothing very bad happened, no lives were lost by any of our men, we made healthy profits, and everything is in good shape. I was looking for something to criticize because of my own insecurities and I took that out on you. I am sincerely sorry for what I said and did. Can you forgive me, please?"

Adam put out his hand for his father to shake. "I guess it didn't help that I got so mad and stormed out of there."

"If we weren't so much alike, we'd have less of these sessions."

"I'll try to keep that in mind when Benny gets older."

Cat came down the steps then with Benny. "You should tell him that there was more than one time when you said you wished he and Joe were here to help too. Benny heard your voices and wants to see you. He can't stay up too much longer or he won't sleep well, but for a few minutes, you can hold him. He missed you."

The storm was weathered, and the next morning was a rainbow morning when Hoss and Ailis talked to Ben about getting married. He couldn't have been happier. The wedding date was set for late October when the men would be back from the drive. Joe and Adam were going to handle the drive. Ben would take care of the ranch with Candy's help as Hoss recovered. Adam was promised a long vacation after the drive so that he and Cat could take Benny and travel to San Francisco with Pleasant. Adam was going to help him set up his business there and purchase a home large enough for all of them. Adam was seriously considering making Pleasant an offer that he and Cat would try to spend several months each winter in San Francisco with him as soon as he and Cat could work out the logistics for such a move and get Ben to agree to it. Ben was still suspicious of Pleasant, but after the attempted kidnapping, Adam and Cat saw a different side of Pleasant. Ben offered one amendment to their plan.

"Adam, why don't you go with Pleasant to take care of all the business first? Cat and Benny can stay with us here. You and Pleasant will be spending all of your days working anyway. Once you have a home purchased and furnished, then I could travel there with them. I wouldn't mind a trip to the city."

"You want to see proof that Pleasant is actually doing this and not trying to lure us to the city for some nefarious purpose?"

Ben shrugged. There was no concealing his suspicions. Adam had to admit that there were times that a few doubts still haunted him. When he looked at Cat, he could see a gentle nod. She must have those same doubts troubling her at times.

"All right. We'll suggest that. I see no reason for him to say no if he's sincere."

It was a great relief to both Cat and Adam when Pleasant agreed wholeheartedly to the plan. "That's good. I was wondering how we would keep you entertained and get all the work done that needs to be done. I didn't think you would like living in a hotel for as much as a month or more either. This will work out much better."

"First I have to get a cattle drive done, but then we can travel. I'm looking forward to this very much. I'm going to regret not seeing my wife and son for so long, but then we'll have a couple of months in the city with no responsibilities. That sounds heavenly after this last year."

First though they had to finish the roundup and the branding. They were there one morning when Ben rode out to tell Candy to head back to the house because Fanny was having their baby. By the time he got back, the baby had already arrived. He rushed into his quarters when he heard a baby's cry only to be met by Hop Sing who told him to go to the washroom and clean up.

"Need to be clean to see new baby. Baby girl not like dirty father."

"I've got a daughter?"

"Very pretty little girl. Now go clean up."

With a grin, Candy rushed to the washroom and then back to put on a clean shirt before he entered the bedroom to greet Fanny and their daughter.

"She was in a rush to get here. I guess that indigestion and gas cramps I thought I was having this morning early was actually the little one starting to push her way out. As soon as you left, it happened, but then I had to wait for Ailis to get here, and then things happened so fast that it was a bit before she could go tell anyone, and then he had to ride all the way out there and all the way back, and Ailis said not to try to hold back but just to push and out she came." Breathless by then, Fanny had to stop talking.

"She's beautiful. And you're all right?"

"It wasn't as bad as I thought. Mama said she thought I would have an easier time of it than most. She said I was made for having babies. I'm not exactly sure what she meant by that, but whatever it was, it's true, I guess."

"Doctor Martin is going to be surprised when he gets here."

"Candy, could you send someone to tell Mama that we had the baby."

"Yes, I'll write a quick note letting her know that little Elizabeth Anne is looking every bit as beautiful as her mother."

There was a small party to celebrate that baptism a week before there was a huge wedding celebration on the Ponderosa when Hoss married Ailis. Hoss had to talk to Joe about choosing a best man. Hoss was worried about how Joe would react to the news that Hoss wanted Adam to stand with him for the wedding ceremony.

"Now Joe, I had to ask Adam to stand with me cause I'm gonna be mighty nervous standing there in front of all those people and getting married. Now ifn you was next to me, I'd be afraid that you might think that it was all funny and all, and getting married is real serious business so I had to ask my serious brother to help me through it. I know that ifn I get to having a problem of any kind, Adam is gonna put a hand on my shoulder and whisper to me what I oughta do. Just knowing he's standing beside me is gonna help make my stomach stop flipping around inside. I hope you understand."

"I do, Hoss, but I thought a wedding is supposed to be about being happy too."

"Oh, it is, little brother, it is, and that's why I was wondering if you would like to be in charge of the party cause I ain't gonna be nervous there and I know you know how to have a party?"

"Hoss, it's going to be the best wedding party ever. People will be talking about this wedding party forever. No one will ever have a wedding party in Nevada to top yours. You leave it to me, Hoss. Just leave it to me."

Sitting in his red leather chair, Ben rolled his eyes and hoped the house would still be standing once Joe was done planning. At least he only had a short time to work on it. Ben need not have worried. It was a memorable wedding with pony rides for the children, a lively band for dancing, fireworks in the evening, several large cakes in addition to the huge red wedding cake prepared by Hop Sing and his cousins, paper lanterns festooning the trees around the property and about a half mile down the road, and the biggest surprise for the guests were the small gifts in squares of cotton tied with a bow that every guest received before they left. Most were baked goods, but some opened theirs to find small carved toys for their children, or small knitted or crocheted items that Ailis had made.

Hoss and Ailis moved into the main house and used the room near the back that Adam and Cat had occupied when they lived there. Adam's plans were slightly altered. He left with Pleasant as planned but returned for Christmas and to report that all had gone according to what Pleasant had told them. He had purchased warehouses. His ships were in port and doing business from San Francisco, and he had purchased a large home. Adam stayed home a few weeks, and then he took Cat and Benny with him to San Francisco for two months. When they returned, he was ready to set up the new business venture that Cat had envisioned, and to continue working on the ranch. Both he and Cat were happy to learn that Joe was seeing a lady that he had met at Hoss' wedding and Ben told them that it was looking serious. The family was doing well.


End file.
